1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for lifting a cassette holder in a car audio, more particularly to a mechanism in which a cassette holder ascends along with a lifting guidance portion in an unloading operation and in which the cassette holder descends and holds in a loading operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Audio devices recently developed are designed to accomplish various functions like an autoreverse, a section repetition, etc. In particular, the autoreverse function automatically switches a tape traveling direction from a forward direction to a reverse direction and vice versa. Hence, the autoreverse type car audio device has a mode changeover lever for switching operation modes according to an instruction of a control portion. A head, one of pinch rollers, and the cassette holder actuate by the mode changeover lever according to the changeover of the operation modes, an ejecting mode, play mode, changeover mode, etc. The cassette holder actuated relative with the mode changeover lever ascends to eject a tape in a loading mode and descends to read out information recorded on the tape in an unloading mode. Therefore, various mechanisms are proposed to lift the cassette holder according to the operation modes. One of the conventional cassette holder lifting devices comprises springs for ascending and descending the cassette holder according to the operation mode. In tape loading mode, the cassette holder loads the springs against their elastic force and descends. In tape unloading mode, the springs return to their original condition, and the cassette holder ascends by the force of restitution of the springs.
First, however, when a car having an audio system with the conventional cassette holder lifting mechanism travels on the road and an operation mode of the audio system is in a playing mode, a vibration of the car affects the operation of the car audio. The cassette holder vibrates. Thus bad contact between the head and the tape occurs. Hence, a signal quality which is read out from the tape is bad.
Second, in the conventional cassette holder lifting mechanism, when the operation mode is the tape loading mode, the cassette holder actuated relative with a mode changeover lever instantaneously loads the spring against their elastic force. When the operation mode is the unloading mode, the cassette holder instantaneously returns to the original position by the elastic force of the springs. The mode changeover lever is affected by the springs.
Third, the operation mode of the cassette holder is unstable because the cassette holder is placed at the ascending position by the elastic spring in the unloading mode.